Dean Obeidallah

Comedian

Dean Obeidallah is an award-winning comedian who was at one time was a practicing attorney. Dean hosts “The Dean Obeidallah show” on SiriusXM radio, which is a platform for Muslim and Arab voices on issues of the week. He co-directed/co-produced the comedy documentary, “The Muslims are Coming!” which used comedy to counter anti-Muslim bigotry. He co-created the “Muslim Funny Fest,” the United States’ first ever-Muslim stand up comedy festival, which took place in New York City in July. Dean has appeared on numerous TV shows performing stand up comedy including Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil” special, Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show,” ABC’s ”The View” and “Comics Unleashed.” In addition, Dean is a columnist for The Daily Beast and contributor to CNN.com Opinion and appears frequently on CNN and MSNBC. He has performed stand up comedy at colleges across the United States and has also performed frequently across the Middle East.

Maysoon Zayid

Comedian

Maysoon Zayid is an actress, comedian, disability advocate, and writer. She is a graduate of and a Guest Comedian in Residence at Arizona State University. Maysoon is the co-founder/co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and The Muslim Funny Fest. She was a full-time On Air Contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann and a columnist for The Daily Beast. She has most recently appeared on Oprah Winfrey Networks In Deep Shift, 60 Minutes, and MSNBC. Maysoon had the number one TED Talk of 2014 and was named 1 of 100 Women of 2015 by BBC.

As a professional comedian, Maysoon has performed in top New York clubs and has toured extensively at home and abroad. She was a headliner on the Arabs Gone Wild Comedy Tour and The Muslims Are Coming Tour. Maysoon appeared alongside Adam Sandler in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and is the founder of Maysoon’s Kids, a scholarship and wellness program for disabled refugee children. Maysoon walked in New York Fashion Week and is proud to be an ambassador for Kara Ross’s Diamonds Unleashed. She was delighted to be a 2013 honoree of United Cerebral Palsy NYC’s Women Who Care Awards and is honored to sit on their planning committee.

Dean Obeidallah is an award-winning comedian who was at one time was a practicing attorney. Dean hosts “The Dean Obeidallah show” on SiriusXM radio, which is a platform for Muslim and Arab voices on issues of the week. He co-directed/co-produced the comedy documentary, “The Muslims are Coming!” which used comedy to counter anti-Muslim bigotry. He co-created the “Muslim Funny Fest,” the United States’ first ever-Muslim stand up comedy festival, which took place in New York City in July. Dean has appeared on numerous TV shows performing stand up comedy including Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil” special, Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show,” ABC’s ”The View” and “Comics Unleashed.” In addition, Dean is a columnist for The Daily Beast and contributor to CNN.com Opinion and appears frequently on CNN and MSNBC. He has performed stand up comedy at colleges across the United States and has also performed frequently across the Middle East.

Maysoon Zayid is an actress, comedian, disability advocate, and writer. She is a graduate of and a Guest Comedian in Residence at Arizona State University. Maysoon is the co-founder/co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and The Muslim Funny Fest. She was a full-time On Air Contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann and a columnist for The Daily Beast. She has most recently appeared on Oprah Winfrey Networks In Deep Shift, 60 Minutes, and MSNBC. Maysoon had the number one TED Talk of 2014 and was named 1 of 100 Women of 2015 by BBC.

As a professional comedian, Maysoon has performed in top New York clubs and has toured extensively at home and abroad. She was a headliner on the Arabs Gone Wild Comedy Tour and The Muslims Are Coming Tour. Maysoon appeared alongside Adam Sandler in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and is the founder of Maysoon’s Kids, a scholarship and wellness program for disabled refugee children. Maysoon walked in New York Fashion Week and is proud to be an ambassador for Kara Ross’s Diamonds Unleashed. She was delighted to be a 2013 honoree of United Cerebral Palsy NYC’s Women Who Care Awards and is honored to sit on their planning committee.

Mo Amer

Comedian

MO AMER has already cemented his stature as one of the pioneers of Arab-American standup, a truly original voice in comedy today. Comedy legend Dave Chappelle regularly invites Mo to feature for him, and in fact, Mo’s first one-hour, solo standup special, “LEGALLY HOMELESS,” is directly based on the creative input and advice of Chappelle. LEGALLY HOMELESS was directed by veteran standup director Jay Chapman, and is presently in post-production. Prospective television buyers are already reaching out for broadcast rights, after CBS Evening News recently announced: “Mo Amer is the first Arab-American to star in his own nationally televised one-hour stand-up special.” Mo has appeared on television several times, starred in a handful of independent films, and has been interviewed by over 100 major world media outlets, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian.

Remy Munasifi

Comedian

Remy Munasifi ("GoRemy") is a YouTube comedian from Arlington, Virginia. His songs include "Hey There Khalilah," "Saudis in Audis," "A-R-A-B: The Rap," and "Tabbouleh: The Song." His latest album, "The Falafel Album" is available on Comedy Central Records.

Mike Easmeil

Comedian

Mike Easmeil, a comedian/writer of Palestinian heritage, is excited to again be part of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. A veteran of stand-up comedy, Mike first performed 16 years ago at Groucho's Comedy Club in Virginia while completing his communications degree. His clean, clever comedy pokes fun of himself, his family, and life's absurdities. In addition to owning a restaurant, being a husband and father of three, Mike performs at charity functions and comedy clubs on the East Coast.

Paul Elia

Comedian

Raised in Detroit Michigan. Family is of Chaldean descent. Started his career as a stand-in for Michael Imperioli on the TV show "Detroit 1-8-7". When the show finished filming, he dropped out of college and moved to LA. Recent TV appearances include Mistresses, Mixology, and Marvel Agents of Shield. Was cast in the 2013 ABC diversity showcase where only 20 actors were chosen among 7,000 submissions. Has a film coming out in 2015 titled "Dirty" which he starred in and produced alongside Roger Guenveur Smith. He can be seen doing stand up comedy all over the country.

Noel Elgrably

Comedian

Noel Elgrably grew up in the nation's capital but left his day-job selling insurance to pursue his calling as a stand-up comedian in Los Angeles. The son of a French-Moroccan father and Moroccan-Israeli mother, he offers an original comedic perspective on growing up as a child of immigrants below the Mason-Dixon Line. Noel's irreverent and ornery style of comedy reminds us that even though we think we’re different we're all the same when we’re laughing at ourselves. Noel can be seen performing regularly at Los Angeles area comedy clubs such as The World Famous Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, The Improv, and The Icehouse. He is an alumni of the New York City Arab-American Comedy Festival, performed in the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, The Funatical Comedy Tour, is a regular cast member of The Sultans of Satire: Middle East Comic Relief Show, and has appeared on Showtime and Fox TV. He has trained as a dramatic actor and was featured in the indie feature films “Bad Space,” “Clean” and “Body High.”

Aron Kader

Comedian

Aron grew up in Washington D.C. He is a genius at impressions and tackles sensitive political subjects with humor. Aron is a founding member of “The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour.” He starred on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”, “The Shield,” F/X, VH1, E!, and CNN. Aron has been featured on NPR, in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and TIME. Kader has performed on Comedy Central’s “The Watch List,” and NBC’s “Beverly Hills SUV.”

Nour Hadidi

Comedian

Since first performing in 2012, Nour has opened for comedians like Andy Pitz, Erin Jackson, DeAnne Smith, David Pryde and Mike Patterson. She was also a ' Young Gun of Comedy', an annual feature by the Comedy Nest club featuring the next generation of comedians. In 2013, Nour was an opening act for Wonho Chung's Montal stop of his North American & European Tour and has been a member of the 'Kosher Jokes for the Halaladays' tour in Montreal and Ottawa for the past three years. She has performed at the Boston Women in Comedy Festival, Toronto's SheDot Festival and is excited to be back for the NY Arab American Festival for the fourth time.

Dina Hashem

Comedian

Dina Hashem first tried stand-up by auditioning for the 2010 New Jersey Comedy Festival at Rutgers University. After winning 1st place, she continued to pursue comedy and has since been performing regularly at clubs including Broadway Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, Caroline's, Comic Strip Live, and The Stress Factory. Dina's style involves a subdued delivery with dark observations about her life and cultural upbringing. She has performed at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, and Burbank Comedy Festival. Her writing has also been featured on the websites of Comedy Central's Indecision Forever, CC Insider, and Nickelodeon.

Luai Hodi

Comedian

Chicago based comedian Luai Hodi, returns for the 4th year in a row to the NYAACF. Luai will be bringing his unique style of comedy to NYC to entertain us all. Luai has performed stand up, sketch and improv all across the US from NYC to LA at comedy clubs, banquets, fundraisers, weddings, graduation parties and pretty much anywhere that there is a free meal.

Maher Matta

Comedian

Maher Matta started performing standup while in college in and hasn't stopped making people laugh since. He's performed all over the country at various comedy clubs and festivals including The World Series of Comedy, The New York Arab American Comedy Festival (2012, 2013), and the San Diego Comedy Festival. He is also appeared on Laughs Season 2 on FOX. As an immigrant, former police officer, husband, and father, Maher brings a unique perspective to the stage. His style of comedy revolves around day-to-day observations and story telling from his life growing up as a Lebanese immigrant.

Fadi Khalil

Comedian

Egyptian born, American raised Fady Khalil spreads his brand of Arab comedy to eager audiences in the Philadelphia area, even earning an opening spot for Philly's own, Keith Robinson (Tough Crowd w/Colin Quinn). Taking an unflinching look at what it means to be Arab in America, Fady enjoys being a comedic ambassador to the predominately non-Arab audiences of Philadelphia. He hopes his comedy helps bridge gaps between the two cultures he grew up with.

Eman Morgan

Comedian

Egyptian American comedian Eman Morgan aka "Celebrity", is arguably one of the hottest stand up comedians today. Besides performing Stand Up, Eman is on a life long mission to personally meet Amr Diab! He also credits his sister for much of his success!

Byron Sadik

Comedian

Cerebral, caustic, and fearless, Byron Sadik is one of the hottest comics out of the Detroit comedy scene. He turns his venomous wit on everything from online dating, his failed stint as a cagefighter, and his own personal anecdotes. He has opened for some of the best comics in the country, including Hal Sparks and Doug Stanhope.

Murad Saleh

Comedian

He grew up in Newark, NJ where the only Arabic spoken was either at home or 12 miles away in Paterson. With an engineering background, Murad expresses his less square side to everyone within an earshot. For him, the 11th Annual NYAACF is an opportunity to be in great company-mostly. Many thanks go to Maysoon and Dean for kicking in the door. HB Studios, HB Playwrights, Don’t You Know I’m Loco, Starlite, Dirty Egyptians.

Mohammed Shaheen

Comedian

Mohammed got his start in Egypt in 2007 with the first time going on stage at the auditions of the axis of evil when they were touring Egypt. Ever since he's been performing in Egypt and constantly going back and forth to LA and NY performing stand-up. He has a unique style of dead-pan one liners while playing his guitar. He's been called the Egyptian demetri Martin even though he looks a lot like Louis ck.

Ali Sultan

Comedian

"Sultan is relaxed and engaging despite having no English when he arrived in the States (he claims his first word was “always”, picked up from the constantly looping maxi pad commercials that run during daytime television) Sultan’s comedy often excavates the casual racism that he and others from the Middle East encounter daily in the U.S., but where another comic might indulge in righteous anger, Sultan works in wryly amused mode, his genial and vulpine grin underscoring a wicked intelligence. Jokes from his set often begin in racially charged territory and then veer unpredictably." Will McGrath

Atheer Yacoub

Comedian

Atheer is a Palestinian-American raised in both Alabama and Palestine. She started performing comedy after moving to New York City, and hopes to either make a living at it, or at least redefine what American audiences think when they hear the words “Arab” and “bomb” in the same sentence. She produces a monthly stand up show in NYC, Shady Pines Comedy Hour, and is very excited to return to the festival for her third year.

Ramy Youssef

Comedian

Ramy Youssef is an actor and comedian from New Jersey. He currently stars in the Nick at Nite sitcom, See Dad Run, alongside Scott Baio and Mark Curry. He is half of the award-winning NYC sketch duo, Inside Joke Films, who have been official selections at the Chicago, San Francisco, and New York Sketch Comedy Festivals. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he misses New York.

Jameela Shelo

Comedian

Jameeleh Shelo is a native Chicagoan and proud Southsider (Go Sox!) She is an Emmy award winning writer and a producer, but her first love will always be comedy. She apologizes to her husband for the previous statement and thanks him for his support. She attended Columbia College Chicago where she earned a B.A. in Television Writing and Production, this degree gave her the skills necessary to become a waitress. Since no one would trust her to handle food she became a TV producer. As a creative outlet she began doing improv, sketch and stand-up. She has performed with Second City's Brown Co., improvised at iO and Annoyance theater, and performed her one woman show, My American Cousin at UCB, Magnet and PIT in NYC and at Silk Road Theater, iO, and Second City in Chicago. She is has also performed at the New York Arab American Comedy festival and Arabissh.

Jameeleh is very lucky to have interned and worked for some very funny people in her career. She interned at Late Night with Conan O'Brien and worked for Stephen Colbert, Lisa Lampanelli and Cedric the Entertainer. If you ask any of these people about her they will pretend to remember her. In addition to that, she has produced from TBS, Comedy Central, HGTV and DIY Network, Harpo, TLC.

Jameeleh is also the Executive Director of the Chicago Palestine Film Festival and a host for Radio Islam. She believes that all people have a right to share their narrative in any media they see fit. She wants to thank you all for taking time to read this and will now go back to sharing her narrative via macaroni necklaces.